LOWELL -- Barry Bonds is already fabulously wealthy. But the person who catches his record-setting 756th home run ball will not become as wealthy as he or she could have been when the ball is sold to a collector.
Cartoonist Todd McFarlane, the creator of Spawn, paid $2.8 million for the ball Mark McGwire hit for his record-setting 70th home run in 1998. When Bonds broke McGwire's single-season record three years later, the ball he hit for his 73rd homer fetched a mere $450,000.
And that was before the steroids scandal hit baseball. Now that the bulk of his baseball career has been tainted, at least temporarily, the value of any memorabilia connected to Bonds has plummeted.
"Quite honestly, I don't think (the ball) is going to have near the value it should have," predicted Bill Judge of Batter-Up Cards and Comics in Tewksbury. "Over time that could change. But right now it is what it is.
"His rookie cards are an absolute steal right now," Judge said. "Five or six years ago, when he was climbing the ladder, it was different. Those cards were going for $75-100.
"Now they're $10-50, and this will keep all his stuff down in value."
"I know there's a company in Texas that's offering $1 million for that ball. If it wasn't for the controversy, it would be worth a hell of a lot more," said Richard Altman, the owner of Hollywood Collectibles who has been in the memorabilia business for more than 20 years and correctly predicted the McGwire ball would be sold for seven figures when he hit it back in 1998.
"If it were Ken Griffey, say, who has a clean image, the ball would be worth more. And Bonds' personality doesn't help his cause."
Seth Swirsky, another major collector of historic baseballs whose collection can be viewed on-line at seth.com, agrees that Bonds' demeanor will help drag down the value of his 756th homer.
"Bonds isn't well liked -- he's earned that by being a surly person," Swirsky said in an e-mail. "I think his likability does affect the price of an historic home run ball. But not by that much.
"People interested in buying Bonds' record-breaking home run ball are not just Bonds fans but collectors of historic pieces, like myself."
But the ball could well appreciate in value in future years if Bonds is cleared of wrong-doing and challengers like Alex Rodriguez fall short of the record.
"I know he is clean now, and he keeps hitting 440-foot home runs," Altman said. "You still need hand-eye coordination, and Bonds still has that. He's a special talent.
"If nothing happens to Bonds, if he doesn't get convicted, the ball will increase in value," Altman said.
"So many things can derail A-Rod ... injury, a sudden decline in skills, etc.," Swirsky noted. "Remember when Griffey was easily going to break Aaron's record? They said Darryl Strawberry would back in the '80s because of how quickly he got to 100 home runs.
"Thus the buyer of all Bonds' historic balls must consider whether Bonds' records will be broken. I personally don't think Bonds' records will be broken for 30 years at least."
Both Altman and Swirsky agree that the most valuable ball will be the one Bonds hits for the last home run of his career, the one that will set the standard for everyone else to catch.
"His 756 ball will easily get $1 million," Swirsky wrote. "But it's his last career ball that will be worth the most. I would want to be at Bonds' last game this year with a chance to catch his last home run of the season, as he may decide to retire."